The Beast of Alaya
by Private Jenkins
Summary: What happens when the collective consciousness of the Earth orders the extinction of humanity? The Grimm. Soulless creatures hell-bent on cleansing the earth of the human scourge. But humanity refused to die. Extinction was unacceptable. Humanity had spoken, and the Will of Alaya answered. The Counter Guardians. The Beasts of Alaya. I have created over a thousand blades...
1. Origins

What happens when the collective consciousness of the Earth orders the extinction of humanity?

Darkness. Chaos. Death. Centuries ago, the Beasts of Gaia were unleashed upon the planet, slaughtering humanity in droves. The Grimm. Soulless creatures hell-bent on cleansing the earth of the human scourge. But humanity refused to die. It went against their very nature. Extinction was unacceptable. Humanity had spoken, and the Will of Alaya answered. The Counter Guardians. The Beasts of Alaya. The Huntsmen. Humanity would not die.

For centuries the forces of Gaia and Alaya clashed. Humanity's greatest heroes were called upon to fight the forces of Grimm. And through their efforts, the servants of humanity temporarily staved off the flood that threatened to drown them. But Gaia's creations were special. The Grimm were created with the sole purpose of annihilating mankind. The god-like servants of humanity could not be killed. They were copies, powerful facsimiles of heroic beings, while the original rested in the Throne of Heroes. However, Gaia changed the rules.

Alaya's connection to the Throne of Heroes was lost.

Alaya control over the copies of mankind's greatest heroes was no longer absolute. And as long as Gaia actively blocked Alaya's connection, once a Counter Guardian fell, they could not be re-summoned.

No longer were the Beasts of Alaya mindless copies of their former selves, but rather the shining examples of man's greatest heroes reborn in all their glory.

And one by one they fell.

For the endless forces of Gaia could not be stopped. Every Grimm killed was simply reborn stronger and deadlier. An immortal, unending, army of darkness could not be defeated. Only slowed.

But their sacrifices were not in vain. For humanity had discovered their salvation. **Dust**. The only power capable of permanently destroying the Grimm.

Humanity no longer needed Heroes to survive.

However, one remained. Humanity's last great hero.

_I am the bone of my sword._

_Steel is my body and fire is my blood._

_I have created over a thousand blades._

_Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life._

_Have withstood pain to create many weapons._

_Yet, those hands will never hold anything._

_So as I pray, **unlimited blade works.**_

* * *

Emiya Shirou. EMIYA. Servant. Counter Guardian. Monster. Broken. **Archer**.

They described him well. An immortal servant of humanity. The last Counter Guardian. The beast of Alaya. He had witnessed the fall of humanity. Their fight for survival. The death of the heroes. Mankind's rebirth. And he was tired. He had long abandoned his ideals, but still he fought.

Unknown to Death, nor known to Life.

It had been many years since he had last used the name Emiya Shirou. Traveling from kingdom to kingdom, the former counter guardian used various aliases over the years, never staying in one location for long. While he had been able to disguise his true identity over the years, whispers of a hooded archer clad in crimson always seemed to follow in his wake.

Archer. An urban legend. A myth.

The Archer was said to only appear in times of need, only to immediately disappear when the threat was over.

Humanity's mysterious hero.

Emiya scoffed.

What a fucking joke.

The counter guardian slowly meandered his way through the dark alley's of Vale's underworld, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. Ignoring the calls of a shady dust dealer, Emiya made his way towards a shadowed figure partially obscured beneath a rusted fire escape.

"Who the hell are you?" growled the deep voice of a wolf faunus, its crimson eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Emiya ignored the faunus and casually leaned on to the wall next to the wolf. A flick of the counter guardian's wrist caused a simple data chip to appear between his fingers. Emiya stared expectantly at the wolf faunus.

"God damn fuckin-" muttered the faunus as he snatched the chip from Emiya's outstretched hand. A quick scan of the chip's contents told the wolf all the information he needed.

"The White Fang is on the move," whispered the faunus, "Rumor has it, Roman Torchwick is working with them. Torchwick's been stealing dust like it's going out of style, while the Fang provides him with the muscle."

Emiya cocked his head to the side in thought.

"Who's holding Torchwick's leash?" asked Emiya, his arms folded across his chest.

"The boss doesn't know. It's possible one of the other three kingdoms are financing his operations. Torchwick is rumored to be based somewhere here in Vale however..." continued the wolf faunus nervously as he glanced at the counter guardian, "That's all we know. Just who the hell are you anyway?"

Emiya smirked beneath his crimson hood as he felt the interest of the dozen hidden guards around them perk with interest. Pushing off of the wall, Emiya silently walked away from the informant.

"They call me Archer."

The wolf faunus froze.

"Tell the old man his debt is forgiven. And that Mystral is lovely this time of year."

It was time to pay another old acquaintance a visit.

* * *

Headmaster Ozpin could be considered one of the greatest Hunters to ever come out of the Vale Kingdom. A genius tactician combined with an overwhelming aura created one of the most decorated soldiers to ever serve Vale.

But that was years ago. Nowadays, the middle-aged headmaster was content with running Beacon Academy and guiding the future hunter and huntresses of Vale.

Taking another sip of his coffee, the headmaster continued to work diligently through the night, the files of the incoming class of Beacon spread out before him.

"You're losing your touch Oz." snorted a voice from the shadows behind the professor.

The headmaster calmly turned around in his chair, sipping his coffee contently, "And you're still as young as ever. Mind telling me your secret? I do miss my lack of gray hair."

Archer scoffed.

"So what brings you to my office at such a late hour Mr. Emiya? It surely isn't a social call, it has been nearly a decade since I last saw you."

"I need your assistance. I have been… guided to you," said the counter guardian, staring at the headmaster intently.

"Ahh. The mysterious Alaya again no?"

"Laugh all you want. Humanity would have perished long ago if it wasn't for Alaya and her beast's." growled Emiya softly, "You yourself have been granted Alaya's blessings."

Ozpin raised both palm up in defeat, "Alright then. You win Emiya. What is it you need old friend?"

"The White Fang is messing with things beyond their understanding. The Grimm are gathering across the world, in numbers I haven't seen in years," Archer glared at his former subordinate, "Gaia is waking from its slumber."

"And what do you require from me?"

"Your resources. You command the respect of all four kingdoms, and hold considerable influence in Vale. War is coming."

Headmaster Ozpin rested his chin on his interlocked hands and stared intently at the counter guardian, "Very well. I shall assist you."

"Good, I'll be leaving immediat-"

"However," the headmaster cutoff the servant sharply, "My assistance comes with a price."

Emiya's eyes flashed dangerously, "Tread carefully Ozpin."

"If war truly is coming as you say old friend, then my hunters and huntresses will be on the front-lines. If they are to survive unscathed, then they will require a teacher. An experienced teacher."

Archer froze, his eyes flickering to the shattered moon hanging in the sky, "No one survives war unscathed."

"To true my old friend. That is the price of my assistance. Do you accept?"

The Heroic Spirit Emiya felt the weakened Alaya's will turn into his own.

"Fine. It's a deal."

Ozpin smiled gently. "Welcome to Beacon Academy. Professor..."

* * *

**A/N: Not sure where this came from. While I have played the Visual Novels for FSN and watched the various animes, I am no expert on the technical details of Type Moon. So it's up to you guys to make sure I don't utterly butcher it. Credit goes out to CG-3m1y4 and fsnfan for the constructive criticism and advice. I'll be honest. Unlike my other story TCD, I have no plan or direction for this fic. This was born from the question "Where do the Grimm come from?" The result is what you see before you. Considering the RWBY universe is barely fleshed out, any ideas on plot or interactions will definitely be appreciated. To those who want to use this idea as their own, go right ahead, I'd love to see what you guys can make of this. Next chapter is being written now (20Sept2014)**** Leave a review and tell me what you think. Until next time.**

**-Private Jenkins**


	2. 17th Expeditionary Force

Emiya leaned back casually in his chair, his legs kicked up on his desk, as he watched the newest students of Beacon Academy file into his classroom.

Professor Shirou Emiya.

Combat Survival Instructor.

Taiga would be rolling in her grave with pride. Following in her glorious footsteps so to speak.

The sharp eyes of the ancient counter guardian analyzed the chattering students before him.

They were so damn young.

Children, the lot of them. They lacked conviction. Emiya was younger then they were when he conquered the Holy Grail War... And his soul had been bathed in blood before he reached the tender age of twenty. To think that children like these were expected to hold back the Beast's of Gaia…

At this rate, most of the students would be dead within the decade.

The restless muttering of the class slowly grew in volume as Archer continued to remain silent, his expression unchanging ten minutes after class had supposedly started.

"U-umm Professor? What are we supposed to be doing?" came the timid voice of a young looking girl. A crimson dress and black hair flashed in the servants mind as his gaze shifted suddenly to the girl. Ruby Rose. Age Fifteen. Wielder of the Crescent Rose, a High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe. Accepted into Beacon Academy after foiling a robbery by Roman Torchwick.

The image of a different girl dressed in black and red flashed across Emiya's thoughts. Rin…

"Pair up," barked Emiya, the servant watching with intent as the students scrambled to find a partner.

"You have a choice."

"Your partner dies. Everyone else lives," growled the heroic spirit, ignoring the gasps and widened expressions of the students, "Or your partner lives. But everyone else dies."

The silence was deafening.

"Make your decision."

Emiya surveyed his class as the assembled students remained silent, unable to meet the piercing gaze of their teacher.

"Too slow," continued Archer quietly, "Your partner is dead. Everyone dies."

A dark atmosphere settled over the classroom.

"To spare one life, another is fated to die. You can't save everyone. That is a fundamental truth."

"You're wrong…" muttered an angry voice softly.

"What was that Mr. Arc?"

A blond haired man stood up suddenly, his hands clenched in shaking fists at his sides, "I said you're wrong!"

Archer narrowed his eyes at the young blond. Jaune Arc. Age seventeen. Wielder of the Crocea Mors. Forged transcripts to Beacon Academy, Headmaster Ozpin allowed the entry of the Arc as a favor to the Arc family patriarch.

"Enlighten me child," sneered Archer condescendingly.

"I refuse to accept that!" growled Jaune as he pointed angrily at the Professor, "I'd rather die before I let that happen! Nobody has to die!"

Emiya couldn't believe it. Another wannabe fucking hero. Curse his E-ranked luck.

"You live in a fantasy world Mr. Arc. The world is a much darker place than you believe," continued Emiya, "I expect a ten thousand word essay on Vale's 17th Expeditionary Force and their subsequent slaughter by the Grimm on my desk tomorrow."

Archer stood up.

"You **can't** save everyone."

The counter guardian gracefully stalked his way towards the classroom door.

"No matter how hard you try…"

The class was silent as the Professor slammed the door behind him.

* * *

"That was… different?" stated the confused voice of one Ruby Rose as she walked through the halls of Beacon Academy with the collective members of team RWBY and team JNPR.

"I don't like him," growled Jaune, clenching his fists, "That guy rubs me the wrong way."

"Well… He was pretty morbid," chimed the voice of one Yang Xiao Long, "And he did cut class short by nearly three hours."

The blond haired girl cocked her head to the side in thought, her chin perched thoughtfully on her fist.

"But did you see that body of his? Bow chika bow wow! Am I right?" grinned the blond flirtatiously.

"SISTER!"

"What? I'm just saying what we're all thinking! Professor Emiya can teach sex-ed to me anytime he wants!" joked Yang, her eyebrows wiggling dramatically.

"You're hopeless…"

"It is curious though…" came the cultured voice of Lie Ren.

"Huh? Whatcha thinking Renny?" asked the bright voice of Nora Valkyrie.

"Professor Emiya, along with the Combat Survival course, are brand new at Beacon," explained Ren carefully, "It's also curious that the class was made mandatory for all students by Headmaster Ozpin with almost zero notice."

The others nodded their heads, contemplating the points Lie Ren was bringing up.

"Every teacher at Beacon Academy can be considered masters in their fields. Only the best Huntsman and Huntresses are allowed to teach here…" Ren stopped, his eyes narrowed in thought, "So why haven't I ever heard of Shirou Emiya?"

* * *

"Professor Emiya. A word?" came the sharp request of fellow professor Glynda Goodwitch.

Emiya cocked an eyebrow up questionly before lazily motioning for her to continue.

"Professor Emiya, I don't know what Headmaster Ozpin explained to you, but teachers here at Beacon Academy are expected to uphold a certain standard when it comes to the education of its students. It is completely inappropriate to leave fifteen minutes into the lectur -"

Archer lifted his hand up and cut off the female professor, "Oz told me to teach them how to survive combat. That's what I'm doing."

"How can you say tha-"

"Tell me Miss Goodwitch. How many died in Vale's seventeenth expansion war?" glared the counter guardian.

"Excuse me? I don't see the relevanc-"

"Eighty thousand seven hundred and sixty nine," interrupted Archer again, "That's how many soldiers were lost when we pushed east into Grimm territory twenty years ago."

The teacher's lounge went silent.

"Two hundred and thirty one of us survived."

Archer growled at the cowed professor, "Of the two hundred and thirty one survivors, only me and Oz remain alive to this day."

"Trust me. I know what I'm fucking doing."

The strict authoritarian of Beacon gaped at Emiya, speechless.

"You never were one to mince words were you old friend?" chuckled the voice of the newly arrived Ozpin, "Forgive my old comrade Miss Goodwitch, the Staff Sergeant never did master the art of tact.

"Hmmph," snorted Archer unapologetically.

"Eloquent as ever," grinned Ozpin.

"Ohoho? I had not realized you two were old war buddies Headmaster!" boomed the distinct voice of Professor Port, "Why that reminds me of when I was just a young lad, freshly pressed into Vale's Naval Armada! Ahh those were the days-"

"A-ahem. Regardless…" said Professor Goodwitch, regaining her composure, "I still expect you to teach the students properly Mr. Emiya."

Emiya gazed at the flustered teacher from his relaxed position on the teacher's couch. The immortal chuckled.

"Very well. I shall endeavor to put forth greater effort," said the Archer, giving a slight mocking bow in response.

"Thank you," said the blond witch with as much dignity as she could manage.

Archer merely grinned.

* * *

**20 years ago.**

_"Contact! Contact! Two o'clock! Two hundred meters! Beowulf's!"_

_"Light em up!"_

_The roar of the vehicle mounted fifty caliber machine gun echoed across the ancient road, the dust filled bullets slamming into the hides of the oncoming horde._

_"-his is Lumberjack 3-6, how copy?"_

_"-egative last transmission, say again Lumberjack?"_

_"-reak contact, break conta-"_

_The haggard forms of the dismounted troops circled around the last two remaining vehicles, their dust rifles firing rapidly into the darkness._

_"Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole!"_

_The resounding boom shook the countryside as the soldiers destroyed the ancient bridge before them._

_"Nevermore's! Ten o'clock high!"_

_"This is Bastard 3-6 requesting immediate Hunter support at grid coordinates Alpha-Charlie-Six-Niner-Tree-Tree-Seven-Six-Two-Four-"_

_"Eat shit and die!"_

_A hail of razor sharp feathers rained upon the troopers from above, eviscerating a trooper and severing the torso of another._

_"Lieutenant Ozpin! We just lost comms with Sapper-6!"_

_2nd Lieutenant Ozpin glared at the offending birds of prey, before firing his trusted cane rifle._

_Explosions littered the sky._

_"Where's those damn Hunter reinforcements?!" shouted Ozpin over the deafening cacophony of battle._

_"Sir! Lone huntsman approaching from our three o'clock!"_

_Lieutenant Ozpin's eye's widened as the lone hunter crashed into the flank of the approaching horde, twin blades flashing with deadly accuracy._

_"Sappers forward! Rally on the hunter!"_

_Ozpin growled in disgust as he slid past the swinging claws of a charging Beowulf, his cane rifle exploding the soulless beast with ease. The young officer charged in front of his dying platoon, trying to clear a wide enough path as the normal soldiers bounded forward._

_The lone huntsman continued to slice through the Grimm forces with ease, the young looking male was drenched in blood, and covered in black gore and entrails._

_"Where's the rest our reinforcements!?" shouted Ozpin as he finally rallied with the Hunter._

_"Dead," grunted the other huntsman, kicking the limp body of a Grimm off his blade._

_"Goddamnit!"_

_"There's a MP company holed up three klicks to the east," growled the crimson clad hunter, "I cleared the route of any class-four Grimms and above. If you and your men move quickly, you should be able to link up with the MP's without too much trouble."_

_"And what about you?"_

_"I'll cover your escape."_

_Ozpin cursed as he switched his gaze between the remnants of his platoon and the lone hunter before him._

_"Goddamn it! Sergeant Graves!" called the Officer to his last surviving squad leader, "Take the men and move three thousand meters due east."_

_The officer ripped out his map and circled the general direction with bloodstained fingers._

_"There should be a Military Police company operating in the AO. I'll cover your retreat with the hunter."_

_"But sir-"_

_"Stow it Sapper. Move out," Ozpin's glare left no room for argument._

_"Roger sir. We're oscar mike."_

_Ozpin spared a final glance at his men before rejoining the conflict next to the dual wielding swordsman._

_"So… What's the name of my fellow dead man?" asked Ozpin in typical gallows humor._

_"Staff Sergeant Emiya. 5th Special Forces Group, 3rd Battalion, Alpha Company," grunted the hunter._

_"Second Lieutenant Ozpin, 130th Engineer Brigade, 84th Engineer Battalion, 609th Sapper Company."_

_Ozpin smiled at his newest comrade with bloodstained teeth._

_"Shall we dance?"_

_"I am the bone of my sword…"_

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was way too goddamn short. I can't stand short chapters, yet here I am writing them. Still no idea where I'm going with this, though I think I'll have fun flashing back to my completely fanon expansion war… The problem I'm having with this fic is that I don't have a coherent plot in mind. We don't really have any idea where the plot is going in RWBY yet, (though we do know Team JNPR's got some dance moves) so I'm not sure where we can go from here. I think there's going to be a lot of focus on Jaune Arc clashing with Emiya, but besides that, your guess is as good as mine. Shoot me some ideas or your thoughts and I'll try to reply to them asap. Next chapter I'll try to focus mostly on teams RWBY and JNPR… Leave a review, and until next time.**

**-Private Jenkins**

**P.S. This is currently the fourth most reviewed Fate/RWBY crossover. Out of five. The competition is fierce.**


	3. The Herald

"I said low crawl!" barked the harsh voice of Professor Emiya at the haggard forms of Beacons freshman class, "Way to go maggot! You just alerted an entire horde of Grimm to your presence! Congratulations! You just died!"

The former Archer stalked angrily towards the offending student and grabbed the mace wielder roughly by the back of the collar.

"Hey! Get your hands off-" protested the mud-covered form of Cardin Winchester.

"Listen up kid," growled Emiya as he lifted the struggling teen to his eye level, "Old Ozpin decided you were worthy of being a team leader."

"So start acting like one!" snarled the counter guardian, hurling the student effortlessly to the start of the mud pit.

Ever since that first lackluster class at the beginning of the term, Professor Emiya's class had quickly become one of the most dreaded. There was no sympathy and no rest for the students partaking in Beacon Academy's mandatory Combat Survival course.

Obstacle courses, land navigation, wilderness survival, close quarters combat; every single survival lesson taught by the Professor was to be committed to memory and implemented correctly in the field. Failure to comply brought forth severe consequences.

"On your feet."

The battered and mud-covered forms of the students quickly jumped to their feet, fearful of the consequences of moving too slow.

"Now," Archer's piercing black eyes bored into his students, the leader of Team RWBY being the subject of his current ire, "What is rule number one for hunters choosing to utilize a firearm as their weapon?"

Emiya glared as the red hooded girl in front of him murmured an answer softly.

"Muzzle awareness?"

"Damn straight!" roared Emiya, "I don't care if you have a swiss army knife with a BB gun attached, never aim it at someone unless you're willing to kill 'em! Is that understood?"

"Yes Professor!" chorused the tired voices of the class.

Emiya nodded in satisfaction, his point made.

"Tomorrow we're running actual convoy operations for the local populace. I recommend those who failed the practical exam to study extra hard tonight," said Emiya with a slightly malicious grin, "Tomorrow is the real deal. That means you'll be fighting Grimm. Class dismissed."

As their combat instructor stalked back towards the Academy, the members of Team RWBY stood in various forms of shock, anger, and excitement.

"Man, I don't care how hot Professor Emiya is, next time he talks to my sister like that, bam! Punch to the face!" exclaimed Yang heatedly.

"Sister…" blushed Ruby embarrassed, "I messed up, Professor Emiya was just… Teaching…"

"Teaching? More like torturing! I've never been so exhausted in my life!" continued Yang, rapidly switching from anger to exasperation, "I think I'm developing cankles! I mean just look at my legs, they're all huge and muscular!"

"Hmmph," came the unladylike snort from the Schnee heiress, "I'm more concerned with what would make Professor Emiya specifically state that we'll be fighting Grimm tomorrow. We've fought Grimm numerous times since we've started here at Beacon."

"True…" murmured Blake Belladonna, "But Professor Emiya does seem to strive for the most realistic training scenarios. If we're fighting Grimm in his class, we'll probably be fighting for our lives.

The members of Team RWBY collectively winced at the thought.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained?" Ruby exclaimed halfheartedly.

"Bah, never try, never fail, that's my motto."

"Shut up Yang."

"Awww…"

* * *

Ka-thunk.

Ka-thunk.

Ka-thunk.

"For Dust's sake! Please refrain from throwing knives in the teacher's lounge Professor Emiya!" cried out Glynda Goodwitch, Beacon's resident authoritarian.

Ka-thunk.

"Whoops, slipped... " grinned the immortal at his colleague. Ever since the blonde professor had berated him for his teaching performance at the beginning of the school year, the archer had consistently gone out of his way to mess with her. It was especially amusing for the former counter guardian to annoy the dictatorial professor.

What? He was millenia old! Old man needed his entertainment damnit.

"I realize," started Glynda, a delicate hand pressed against her brow in frustration, "That we all have certain… Quirks."

The blonde professor glared angrily at Emiya, "However; that does not excuse damaging school property Mister Emiya!"

The counter guardian merely grinned at his fellow professor from his spot on the couch, "Well… If you wanted to get technical here, its not so much damaging school property but damaging my own."

Glynda's mouth dropped in shock, "You mean to say…"

"What? That I own the Academy? Beacon is a government approved institution, not a government funded," continued Emiya, his hand flicking another throwing knife into the Grimm poster on the wall.

Ka-thunk.

"Ozpin had the dream, I had the money. And so Beacon Academy for Hunter and Huntresses was born."

"I-what-gaahh!" exclaimed Gynda in frustration, "I can't deal with this right now!"

The immortal chuckled as his blonde colleague stormed out of the lounge.

"Analysis. It appears you have broken her Professor Emiya," came the rapid fire exclamation of fellow Professor, Bartholomew Oobleck.

"Doc," nodded Emiya to the green-haired history professor.

"Quite the mystery you've been Professor Emiya. Never heard of your existence until this year. Research has yielded interesting results. Most curious indeed."

Emiya raised a brow in amusement, "So you decided to go straight to the source huh? What'd you discover?"

"No traces of a Staff Sergeant Shirou Emiya surviving the 17th expedition. Further scrutiny suggests a false identity or a change of name in the years since. However; research indicates a Hunter clad in crimson did fight in the war, wielding a pair of blades and a mere bow. Also. Rumors of a crimson clad archer repeatedly appears throughout known history. Hypothesis. You are a part of an ancient line of archers that have repeatedly excelled in killing Grimm throughout the ages… Your analysis?"

Ka-thunk.

"You're a clever one Doc…" grinned Emiya, although his eyes flashed dangerously, "I'd keep that hypothesis to myself though if I were you, yeah?"

"Understood. Secrets, very dangerous," rapidly responded the green haired professor, "Obligatory warning. Threaten my students."

The fast talking professor narrowed his eyes at the immortal.

"And I'll kill you myself."

Ka-thunk.

"Fair enough Doc. Fair enough."

* * *

Jaune shifted uncomfortably as he stood outside his least favorite professor's door.

The teen hesitated as he lifted his hand up to knock.

He didn't need to do this. So what if he wasn't ready for the convoy operations tomorrow? He was an Arc! And Arc's never needed help. They were heroes!

Well everyone but him.

"Are you going to stand there all day Mr. Arc or am I going to have to hire you as my doorman?"

Jaune jumped in shock as the sarcastic voice of Professor Emiya appeared directly behind him.

The silver haired professor cocked an amused brow at the teen before him. What possibly could have brought _her _descendant to his office at this hour?

"Train me!"

Huh. He was not expecting that. An Arc asking him for help? Blasphemy.

"Oh really?"

The blond student clenched his fists angrily.

"I'm a liability to my team. I'm not strong enough," growled the normally carefree teen angrily, "You're the strongest hunter I know. I... I need help..."

Archer stared curiously at the blond teen before him. Normally he would have dismissed the boy without a second thought.

However... He was _her _family, no matter how distant. Some favors did transcend time after all.

"Are you aware of what you're asking for kid?"

"Look if you're not going to help I'll just find someone who will-"

"Relax kid. I never said I wouldn't help," said the immortal nonchalantly, pushing past the blond into his office.

"I owe an Arc my life," continued Emiya, unsheathing his twin blades from his back.

"Making sure you survive your first contact is the least I can do."

Jaune followed the archer hesitantly into his office. His limited danger senses tingling.

The whistle of steel cutting through air was the only warning Jaune had before a black blade cut through the air his head previously occupied.

"What the he-"

Jaune dove to the side as a white blade pierced the wall behind him.

"Don't just stand there, draw your sword, heir to the Arc name!" grinned Archer savagely, "To be a hunter is to walk with death! And I am its herald!"

* * *

_"Twenty meters. Two o'clock. Pair of Ursa Majors," came the soft voice of Second Lieutenant Ozpin, ""We should avoid-"_

_A sickening crunch of twisting bone and sinew signaled the deaths of the Ursa Majors as the red clad archer dropped the dead bodies at his sides._

_"Or you can just kill them with your bare hands. That works too," deadpanned the lieutenant._

_The archer merely shrugged as he stealthily made his way back to Ozpin._

_"I'm reeeally glad you're on our side Emiya."_

_Archer snorted softly in amusement._

_"Alright then, here's the situation," continued Ozpin as he racked a round into his Ramsey D9 pistol, "Before my unit was overrun, we were enroute to our tentative objective rally point here."_

_The bloodied lieutenant pointed to a marked location on his map. The contour lines indicating a small alley bisecting the mountain range that ran north to south._

_"Before the Great War this area was a part of the eastern gate. We were to secure the ruins and funnel the Grimm into our killzone."_

_The Archer shook his head, "Wouldn't have worked. There's Nevermore nests all around those ruins. Your men wouldn't have stood a chance. Not without hunter support."_

_"Damn it," cursed the young lieutenant._

_Emiya thought carefully before motioning to the map._

_"There's an old trail that runs through the mountain overlooking the gate. There was a contingency plan to detonate charges and block the valley if the gate was ever overrun."_

_The archer glanced sideways at the other soldier carefully._

_"If those charges are still there, we can theoretically stem the flow of Grimm ground forces into the area."_

_"Those charges would have to be over thirty years old."_

_"Thirty six actually."_

_Ozpin glared lightly at his companion, "Would they still work?"_

_Emiya grinned savagely, "Only one way to find out."_

_The young soldier shrugged tiredly._

_"Fuck it. Let's do this."_

* * *

**A/N: Well. It has been awhile hasn't it? In light of Monty's passing I decided to rewatch RWBY in his honor and get back to writing this story. However; when I sat down to write this, I ended up with the beginnings of a 10k word story focusing on what would happen if Jaune was recruited into the Atlesian Army when he first failed to get into Signal. But that's a story for the future. A lot of nothing happens in this chapter and it is of course atrociously short, but I figure people would rather have this posted then sitting unread on my hard drive. As always let me know what you think in a review and feel free to shoot me some ideas for the future. **


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